Telephone conversation recording device



' y 1 1943 M. w. DOBRZENSKY' 2,319,665

TELEPHONE CONVERSATION RECORDING DEVICE Filed Sept. 2 1941 VAMPLIFI'IER Y J 4 I INVENTOR. M4 TQN WDOBEZENSKK 4 TTOENEY.

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' or instructions.

Patented May 18, 1943 7 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Milton W. Dobrzensky, Oakland, Calif. Application September 2, 1941, Serial No. 409,232

' 1 Claim.

My invention relates to voice recording mech-' anisms.

One of the objects of my inventlonvis to provide an arrangement for phonographically recording and' reproducing telephone messages, employing a dictating machine and an electrically actuated telephone instrument and means for operatively uniting them for the purpose, without interfering with the normal operation or use of either instrument as a separate unit.

Another object of my invention is to provide such an apparatus in which there is no connection between the telephone and the electrical pick-up coil except that they be placed adjacent each other andin which there is no connection between the dictating machine and the amplifier except their being placed adjacent each other. In other words, with my invention there is no change whatever made in either the dictating machine or in the telephone mechanism.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for adjusting the rigidity of the fluid column actuating the diaphragm in the dictating machine so as to avoid distortion.

Another object of my invention is toprovide a receiving means for the dictating machine speaker mouthpiece which will permit quick detachability.

I have found in the operation of my machine that I will often be using the dictating machine in connection with ofiice work when the telephone will ring and a call will come in which I wish to record. By means of the arrangement shown herein it is a simple matter to place the dictating machine mouthpiece in the rack and record the whole conversation on the record.

Another use for this device'is when .I am away from my office and desire to dictate a letter or a telegram, or a message to someone in the ofllce, I telephone myofiice, ask for .my secretary, ask her to hook up the Dictavox machine and to listen in to the dictation. I then dictateletters, telegrams, memoranda. instructions or even contracts, while I am away from the oilice, using the telephone as a means of making recordings on my ofiice dictaphone.

While I have enumerated above certain objects of my invention, there are others not mentioned which become obvious fromthe following descriploud speaker unit 33.

Fig. 2 is a view partly in section and partly diagrammatic illustrating the essential features of my invention.

In the drawing, numeral is designates the usual dictating machine mounted on the stand it and having a soft recording cylinder I2 engaged by a needle in the recorder 33, which needle is actuated by the usual diaphragm it. The latter is caused to vibrate by means of a pulsating fluid column in the tube H5 and mouthpiece I'S. When using the machine as a dictat ing machine the mouth of the person dictating is placed over the opening of the mouthpiece lfi and the record i2 is made. In the box l? is a suitable motor and drive to rotate the cylinder i2 and to move the reproducer is Y over'the record 12. Thistype of mechanism is a standard article of commerce.

To the right in Fig. l is shown the usual telephone base 2i? and hand-set iii. The construction of these instruments is well-known to those skilled in this art and no further description s believed necessary.

We come now to a description of the unit or device of my invention which is adapted to 0peratively unite the dictating machine to the telephone instrument in a manner which will not interfere with the normal use or operation of either instrument as a separate unit but which will, when desired, cause to be recorded on the record l2 of the dictating machine the two-way conversation passing through the telephone instrumerit.

My device comprises an induction coil 38 preferably made the size and shape of the bottom of the telephone unit 28 so that the latter can sit thereon in a predetermined relationship to the coil 39. The current pulsations picked up by the induction coil are then conducted to amplifier 3! where these pulsations are increased in power and passed out through voice coil wires 32 to a Any other location for the induction coil may be used, for example adjacent the call box of the telephone.

The amplifier 3! may be of any of the wellknown' types adapted to produce sufficient amplification to actuate the loud speaker 33. The

load speaker illustrated is of the cone type but any other type may be substituted without departing from the scope of my invention. The

'one illustrated comprises the speaker cone it having the voice coil 35 set in a field of a permanent magnet 38. The cone is supported at its outer edge by a web 31. As the cone is moved in and out of the magnetic field, vibrations are set up. This movement is permitted by means of the annular flange 38 held in the web 31.

The amplifier and loud speaker are usually housed in the same box 3|. The loud speaker cone 34 is placed adjacent an opening in the box 3! into which opening may be fitted a slidin member 40. While I have shown and will describe a particular form of member 40. any other form may be substituted which will accomplish the objects and purpose of this invention as now described.

The sliding member 40 provides the mounting means to support the mouthpiece while the telephone conversations are being recorded on the dictating machine. It also provides means for adjusting the air gap 42 which surrounds the open face of the speaker cone 34. To prevent distortion it is preferable that this air gap 42 extend substantially the full distance around the speaker cone, or, if interrupted, that the interruptions be fairly symmetrical. By making the member 40 slidable in the opening in case 3|, or adjustable by means of the thread 43 as shown in Fig. 2, it is possible to regulate the size of air gap 42, and in this way adjust the two instruments so that the proper intensity of movement is imparted to the fluid column in speaking tube l5 and mouthpiece l8. In place of the threads 43 member 40 may make a sliding fit with the opening in housing 3|. To permit quick detachability of the mouth-' piece l6, any one of a number of arrangements may be provided. As shown in Fig. 2, there is attached to the lower face of member 40 a projecting member 44 adapted to support the lower edge of mouthpiece I6 and to the upper face of member 40 is secured a hook member 45 adapted to engage the rim of mouthpiece Hi. It is preferable to provide a resilient facing 46 to be engaged by mouthpiece It to avoid vibration and to seal oil the connection between the edge of mouthpiece l6 and the collar member 40 so that any air gap will be the controllable one at 42.

As shown in Fig. 1, the most convenient location for the amplifier and loud speaker 38 is in the base ll of the dictating machine. Thus located, it is a simple matter to bend the tube It down so that the mouthpiece I5 falls naturally into the holding members 44 and 45.

In operation the amplifier unit is usually left turned on all day so that when a telephone call comes in which the recipient desires to record, it is a simple matter to place the mouthpiece of the dictating machine in the holders 44 and 4!. When the call is completed, the mouthpiece is easily removable and use of the dictating machine can be continued without any adjustment or change whatever.

Not only is my device very simple in its construction, but it is very inexpensive to manufacture as well as to install.

It is not my intention that the specific form of the elements used in describing this invention are absolutely essential to its practice and I desire the benefit of the full range of equivalents in keeping with the claim appended hereto.

What I claim is:

In a device adapted to operativ ely unit a conventional type of dictating machine to a telephone instrument while permitting normal operation or use of either instrument as a separate unit, the combination of a dictating machine, having a speaking tube, an electrical telephone instrument, a field pick-up located adjacent the latter, an amplifier connected to the output side of the pick-up, a loud speaker connected to said amplifier, a tube end coupling mounted for adjustment to and from the loud speaker for detachably coupling the open end of the speaking tube of said dictating machine adjacent said loud speaker, said coupling including a predetermined air gap surrounding said loud speaker, and means for adjusting the width of the air gap between said coupling and loud speaker.

lVlILTON W. DOBRZENSKY. 

